Voice of Courage

04/08/2023

For those of you who stop by this page, we want to thank you for being here, for being a part of Voice of Courage in many important ways, or for just dropping by out of curiosity.

Sarah and I are no longer developing Voice of Courage events, though we continue to do much together, including ministry and retreats. In 2020, we wrapped up our engagements by the end of February just in time before COVID and the big shutdown hit.

Sarah continues to coach as a life, leadership, and organizational coach, and can be found at:
https://www.sarahbond.org

I (Jan) also continue to coach, and I also mentor writers and meet with women desiring spiritual direction. For now, you can still find me here or at
https://voiceofcourage.org

That website will be discontinued when my web designer completes the development of my new site.

In the meantime, this page remains open. Say hi. Tell us what you're up to and how we can pray for you.

02/08/2020

Voice of Courage community, if you are in the Sacramento area, please come, enjoy, and be inspired at the upcoming Intersections: Arts & Faith Gathering taking place at William Jessup University. I (Jan) will be one of breakout session presenters, but there are many areas of creativity that will inspire you. The title and theme: Seeing 2020: Honing our Creative Vision

Intersections: Arts & Faith Gathering 2020 - https://mailchi.mp/d80dcfd91462/call-for-art-4253989

01/21/2020

Blind Eyes Opened
The Truth About S*x Trafficking in America

Some of the most vulnerable and silenced voices reside in those who have been s*x trafficked. This week on January 23, one night only, an important film about this topic is available in the Greater Sacramento Area at three theaters--in Folsom, El Dorado Hills, and Sacramento.
(UPDATE: Also showing on the 23rd in San Jose, Newark, Mountain View, and Redwood City. See second link below for showtimes.)

Blind Eyes Opened is a first-of-a-kind Christian documentary that dives deep into the s*x trafficking industry in the U.S. The film exposes the darkness that fuels demand, highlights survivors' transformations through Christ, engages lawmakers, law enforcement, organizations, ministries and experts across the country committed to ending the atrocities, all while showing Christ as the hope for all involved. For more info and tickets:
https://blindeyesopened.com/
https://www.imdb.com/showtimes/title/tt11043394

Blind Eyes Opened is a first-of-a-kind Christian documentary that dives deep into the s*x trafficking industry in the U.S.

01/21/2020

Those of you who courageously engage in community through creativity (or want to more), there's a free online MasterClass for Christian artists coming up this week and next. You can sign up and watch live or as you have time during those weeks. I'm not completely sure what the content will be, but if any of you attend and want to use this Voice of Courage post as a place for conversation about what you're learning or how you desire to use your creativity to impact your community, please do! Please note, while professional artists are certainly a part of this, we're just talking about the creativity we each have because we are created in the image of the Creator God. That includes you! Here's the link: https://matttommeymentoring.mykajabi.com/aru-opt-in-winter-2020

12/27/2019

It's never too late for us to "prepare Him room." My prayers that you enjoyed a beautiful Christmas celebration that spills over into the new year!

10/09/2019

We have a new article to share on this windy, power-shortage kind of day in CA. If you're tuning in from your phones in fading fall daylight or dimly lit homes right now, settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and read along as I (Sarah) share my current journey of befriending discontent. I've been learning to listen when I feel all is not well in the world and to allow that experience to drive me towards reflection, prayer, partnered action, and greater intention in the small and big commitments and habits of my life. What do you do when you face discontent? How has it reshaped your life, heart, and habits? Follow the link below to read my full article and share your own thoughts and stories with our Voice of Courage community. We love hearing from you and learning from your brave, conscious living. https://www.voiceofcourage.org/befriending-discontent/

08/26/2019

What an amazing evening we had! On Thursday night, 20 of us gathered at Sarah's home for our 5th Voice of Courage Meetup. For this panel edition, we invited Jackie Guzman, Maria Lipana, and Cheryl Nesbitt to share their experiences and perspectives around having a courageous voice in their work and organizational contexts and then also how to welcome and celebrate the voice of others. Several said we needed more time for this conversation--in fact, maybe a whole day! Just a few of my take-aways:

Embody your unique, passionate voice...even if initially it's shaky.

Look at what is systemic. Stop and evaluate together, assess the critical conversations. What is the outcome you want? Ask questions to give others an opportunity to share fears/concerns.

For those who we see may be reticent to share or speak up, pay attention to their cues. Instead of putting them on the spot (particularly traumatized individuals), allow space and time for them to become brave.

Before walking into a difficult situation or room, put your hand on the doorframe and pray, "Help my presence match whatever is present in the room." This is about serving others.

"How can that be green?" The story of a simple question one of our panel members asked in a context where a leader was claiming morale was high. Green symbolized some measurement of that. But she spoke what others felt and wondered about a morale that was anything but okay. She asked the question. Courageously. And so others in the room took her lead and also spoke up with much-needed honesty.

This was a room of women with "voice of courage" contexts in the home, the neighborhood community, or business or ministry. We loved having each one present, and we agree. More time was needed. We would have loved to grapple more deeply with the topic and give even more time to hear their questions, stories, experiences, and wise perspectives. Thank you, each one of you!

We also shared a resource based on our Voice of Courage values. You can read those at https://www.voiceofcourage.org/who-we-are/

And if you are interested in hearing about our resources and events as they are offered, let us know:
https://www.voiceofcourage.org/connect/

08/16/2019

Ladies, we're hosting our 5th Voice of Courage Cultivate Conversations Meetup in the Greater Sacramento/Folsom area. Join us!

In this special panel edition, three incredible women will answer the questions you have about raising a courageous voice in places of work, leadership, or influence, and creating internal space and organizational cultures that welcome and celebrate the voices of others.

RSVP by Monday, August 19th
https://www.voiceofcourage.org/events/
https://www.facebook.com/events/466393757427473/